Muay Thai Fighter Gym Bag? 5 Must-Have Items
Whether you are a beginner or a more seasoned Muay Thai fighter, having the gears you need to advance your training and improve your skills is essential.
But what are the essentials? What are the “must-haves” as a Muay Thai fighter that you should definitely have in your arsenal?
We’re going to break down a list of five essential items to have in your Muay Thai fighting bag, no matter what stage you are currently at.
Muay Thai gym bag essentials
Muay Thai Gloves
Just any pair of gloves won’t do. Muay Thai gloves are specifically designed for the sport. Muay Thai gloves have an open palm that allows for a greater range of motion for clinching, catching kicks, and grabbing opponents as necessary. Muay Thai gloves are also cylindrical, which helps fighters to improve their clinch.
The side padding in Muay Thai gloves helps to protect fighters from the impact of an opponent’s knees or elbow strikes and punches. And the cuffs help to stabilize the wrists to prevent injury.
Shin Guards
Nobody likes to be injured, hence protecting your muscles and bones when fighting is crucial. There are different types of shin guards for Muay Thai, but they all essentially serve the same purpose: to protect your shins, feet, and ankles.
In Muay Thai, there are two main areas on the foot that are used in fighting.
- The target zone - refers to the area on your opponent's leg where you should aim to strike.
- The Strike zone - the area of your leg that you should aim to strike your opponent with - usually the mid to lower shin.
While your ankle and foot shouldn’t be used when striking an opponent, no one is perfect and mistakes can happen. Hence, it is important to also protect your ankles and feet from potential damage. Shin guard should be worn during training as well as sparring matches.
Thai shorts
You may notice that Thai shorts are much shorter than your typical boxing shorts. Thai shorts are designed to allow for maximum freedom of movement for the fighter. Since Muay Thai requires the fighter to be swift and agile, it is necessary for the clothing that is worn to accommodate that. That includes the cut, shape, and material (typically satin due to its lightweight nature). Thai shorts are also usually of bright colors with interesting patterns.
Headgear
While some people may tell you that headgear is not important in Muay Thai, we don’t agree. Protection from injury should always be a priority as a fighter, not only do headgear protect your face from cuts and bruises, but they could also protect you from major injuries like a concussion.
Ankle Brace
Great ankle support offers stability, as well as additional protection from your opponent and even yourself. When throwing kicks, you could accidentally kick an opponent’s elbow, which could be extremely painful. Having a quality ankle brace in your gym bag is definitely a plus.